This application is related to the following commonly assigned and copending United States patent applications filed on the same date herewith and which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety:
xe2x80x9cStorage Device Apparatus Having Multiple Interfacesxe2x80x9d by Daniel J. Winarski, Jesse L. Trail, Rodney J. Means, John E. Kulakowski, having Ser. No. 09/843,665; and
xe2x80x9cAn Automated Library System Including a Gripper Assembly Apparatus for Interfacing with a Storage Devicexe2x80x9d by Daniel J. Winarski, Jesse L. Trail, Rodney J. Means, John E. Kulakowski, having Ser. No. 09/843,657.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gripper assembly apparatus for interfacing with a storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A tape library is comprised of multiple tape cartridges that may be separately accessed and handled by a robotic gripper assembly. The gripper assembly is capable of moving the tape cartridges between one or more racks of storage cells in which the cartridges are stored and a tape drive. If a user wants to access data on a tape cartridge in a cell, then the robotic gripper assembly must remove a tape cartridge from one tape drive, move the dismounted tape cartridge to one storage cell, move the gripper assembly to the storage cell to access the requested tape cartridge, and then transfer the cartridge to the tape drive for mounting and data access.
Tape libraries allow for storage of substantial amounts of data at a low cost. However, dismounting a tape cartridge from one drive and mounting another tape cartridge from the rack of cells can take a substantial amount of time. Such delays in providing an application access to data in an unmounted tape cartridge can adversely affect the performance of the application.
Due to concerns over the time required to mount tapes in a tape library, tape library developers continually strive to reduce cycle time. The cycle time indicates the time for the gripper assembly to dismount a tape from a current tape drive, return the tape cartridge to its assigned storage cell, access the requested tape cartridge from another cell, and then move and insert the accessed tape cartridge into one of the tape drives.
For these reasons, there is a need in the art to provide improved technology for providing a library of storage devices.
Provided is a gripper assembly including a gripper capable of engaging a storage device having a data interface through which data is transferred to a storage medium within the storage device. The gripper assembly includes extending members capable of engaging the storage device, a data interface capable of engaging the storage device data interface to allow data communication with the storage medium in the storage device, and movement electronics to move the gripper in at least one direction.
Further, the storage device further includes a power interface through which power is supplied to the storage device and the gripper assembly further includes a power interface capable of engaging the storage device power interface to transfer power to the storage device.
Still further, the data interface is capable of data communication with the storage device while the gripper assembly moves the storage device from a first location to a second location.
Moreover, the data interface on the gripper assembly may further communicate Input/Output requests to the storage device.
The described implementations provide a gripper assembly that is capable of interfacing with a storage device to communicate power and data to the storage device, such as a hard disk drive. Such an arrangement is particularly useful for an automated tape library where the gripper assembly may begin providing power and allowing I/O requests to be transmitted to the storage device while the storage device is transferred en route to a drive interface on the library backplane. This arrangement allows communication with the storage device without the delay of having to transfer the storage device to an available drive interface on the library backplane.